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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25277482">Be My Ears, Be My Eyes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/constantconfusion14/pseuds/constantconfusion14'>constantconfusion14</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>MLB Oneshots [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, In sync, LadyNoir - Freeform, Ladynoir July 2020, Mild Cursing, One Shot, mild depictions of violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:54:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25277482</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/constantconfusion14/pseuds/constantconfusion14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ladybug and Chat Noir have battled multiple akumas before and they've always had each others' backs. But when Hawkmoth gets smart and attempts the 'divide and conquer' method, it proves to be very effective. Ladybug is forced to rely on Chat for her hearing and Chat on his lady for his sight. Although they may fall when divided, they stand stronger than ever when working with perfect synchronicity.  </p>
<p>Aka my one shot for Ladynoir July Day 15: In Sync</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>MLB Oneshots [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1765765</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>136</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Be My Ears, Be My Eyes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was not supposed to be 10,000 words but big whoops on that one. I know, I used the cliche of Thunder and Lightning, but it just fit the 'in sync' dynamic super well so I did it anyway. </p>
<p>Find me on tumblr @constantconfusion.tumblr.com!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Marinette was not having a good day. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As far as Saturdays went, this one was pretty bad. She’s been woken up early by construction, fallen down the stairs on the way to breakfast, a lunch date with Alya, Nino and Adrien (which she’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> been looking forward to) had been cancelled last minute, she’d accidentally ripped a dress she was working on, and her parents asked her to do her least favorite task of deep cleaning the bakery machines. All before noon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So of course there would be an akuma attack. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’d created some terrible excuse and zipped towards the sound of the action, which is where she was currently fighting and had been for the past half hour. By herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I swear to all things holy, I’m going to kill that cat next time I see him.” She brushed some flyaways out of her hair as she pulled herself from the rubble of yet another building she’d been thrown into. A single spotted foot stepped back on to the sidewalk when the akuma appeared floating a few feet above her. He was constantly at her throat, giving her no time to relax, think of a plan, or call for her Lucky Charm. Let alone, call her partner. He was wearing her very thin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A purple mask appeared over his face as he approached her. “Ladybug, you really don’t know what’s good for you. I keep pushing you away, and yet you come back for more every time.” He held up his hands on either side of his body, preparing for yet another deafening thunder strike that was created every time his palms collided. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In an entirely gray suit with moving shadows that gave the effect of storm clouds rolling across the fabric, it was pretty easy to figure out the guy’s powers. When he introduced himself, giving the name ‘Thunder,’ all suspicions were confirmed. Marinette pretty much had him all figured out, except his mask. Only half of his face was covered, which seemed a little strange, but she’d definitely faced stranger so she didn’t think too much about it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ladybug only grimaced in response to his taunting. Her suit made her nearly impervious to any sorts of physical damage, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t felt every brick she’d hit thus far. She was worn down, dirty and not having a good time. “Ya know, Thunder, Hawkmoth already tried a weather-themed akuma. Except she was way more powerful than you are. You’re like the sad second attempt someone made with the leftover fabric.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man’s golden eyes flashed like lightning and he smiled cruelly. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with. Just give me those earrings for Hawkmoth and I’ll leave you alone. We don’t have to fight anymore.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ladybug scoffed and weakly gestured to the nearly-leveled city around her. Every sonic boom was accompanied by a strong force that broke down nearby buildings instantaneously. The school had been flattened, along with the bakery and all the buildings on the surrounding blocks. Thankfully, she had evacuated most everyone from the buildings. But, there was still a good chance Thunder had done more than just cosmetic damage. Which meant this needed to end quickly so everything could be set right again. “Look around you. You’re the one fighting me. I just-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A sudden </span>
  <em>
    <span>crack</span>
  </em>
  <span> split through the air, sending up such a massive flash of light from somewhere behind her that Ladybug would’ve been driven blind had she not been facing away. She still flinched at the sudden explosion, her mind running through the possibilities. That was a new ability for Thunder. She hadn’t seen him control lightning before, nor had she expected him to, given his costume and name. Besides, she had been looking directly at him and he hadn’t done anything to create such a force. So what in the name of the kwami’s was </span>
  <em>
    <span>that?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then it hit her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What was Thunder without Lightning?</span>
  </em>
  <span> She opened her eyes once the light died down only to come face to face with her opponent who’d taken advantage of the distraction from across the city.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His bright, yellow, flashing eyes contrasted his gray suit wonderfully, but also terrifyingly. He was uncomfortably close to her and Ladybug had no time to cover her ears  before he smiled cruelly and slammed his hands together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An echoing </span>
  <em>
    <span>BOOM </span>
  </em>
  <span>sounded through Paris, accompanied by a sonic wave that crumbled weak structures and sent cars flying. Chat Noir ducked underneath the debris he could see, but still got hit by a few bricks here or there. He rubbed his face and blinked his eyes again. No such luck. The splotches of light were still there, thanks to the blinding bolt of light he wasn’t fully able to avoid a few seconds prior. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat stood and dusted himself off, looking around at the destroyed surroundings. Lightning (as the akuma called herself) had been very happy to use her power to make transformers explode, cause fires in trees, or make a cat-themed superhero go partially blind. But a sonic boom? That hadn’t happened yet. “Ugh, what was that?” he spoke to no one in particular as he stood up, brushing himself off. Unfortunately, his opponent responded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! I’m so glad to see things are going well on brother’s end. Hopefully that pesky bug is taken care of. Now it’s your turn, kitty cat.” Sparks began crackling around her as she floated closer to the hero on the street. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien’s heart dropped into his stomach. Wait, wait, wait. What? There were </span>
  <em>
    <span>two </span>
  </em>
  <span>akumas?? There were </span>
  <em>
    <span>two </span>
  </em>
  <span>separate battles going on? He murmured his thoughts aloud as a realization dawned on him. “That’s why Ladybug hasn’t shown up, she’s probably waiting for </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> to show up.” Chat turned his head towards Lightning and could partially see her bright, yellow suit coming closer towards him. A mask covered only one half of her face, and her deep, gray eyes contrasted the golden color of the rest of her costume. Lightning </span>
  <em>
    <span>and Thunder</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat had no time for this battle anymore. He had to get to Ladybug to make sure she was okay. “Sorry, Sparky. But someone’s waiting for me. Let’s do this some other time, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He felt the atmosphere change around him as it had many, many times before. A bolt of lightning streaked from the sky, but Chat used his senses to move from the spot it struck. He used the flash as a cover and vaulted himself away from the scene, towards the source of the boom. There hadn’t been any thunder crashes following the original one he heard, which was either a good thing or a very, very bad thing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something told him the latter was more accurate. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat tried his best to cover the distance quickly, but his blotchy vision was making it nearly impossible. He tripped, stumbled and miscalculated much more than he preferred. This was not going to be an easy fight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, he arrived at what must’ve been ground zero. A tiny crater was created right where the school used to be and was only broken up by the Seine snaking through. Piles of rubble and debris towered around the epicenter, which was completely leveled, as though some kind of bomb had gone off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, no no no.” Chat whispered as he tried to comprehend the scene in front of him. There had been damage from akumas before. But there had never been this much. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the center of it all, Chat could barely make out a large figure, their gray suit blending in with their surroundings. What didn’t blend in was a tiny, red blob lying motionless on the ground in front of the other figure. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ladybug!” Chat yelled and immediately threw himself towards her. He didn’t stick the landing but rolled with his momentum and sprinted towards her prone figure. The other akuma, a man, was reaching down towards her earrings, taking his sweet time in prying them off. He hadn’t noticed the black form moving towards him faster than the speed of sound, ready to do anything in order to protect his partner. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, Chat had no plan and simply lowered his shoulder, checking it into the man, sending him flying by a few feet. He didn’t even bother to watch his opponent come to a halt before assessing the figure on the ground. Ladybug wasn’t out cold, but that wasn’t saying much seeing as she was barely responsive to her surroundings. Although she still had both earrings, Chat noticed a decent amount of blood spilling from her ears. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That</span>
  </em>
  <span> was a bad sign. He reached down and picked her up, cradling her gently as to avoid jostling her too much. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her eyes pried open and she looked at his face. “Chat…?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Although scratchy and uncertain, her voice was as soft as usual, clearly relieved at the presence of her other half. “I’m here, my lady. Let’s get you somewhere safe.” He leaped away from the scene, once again abandoning the enemy in search of something else. Poor Ladybug was forced to endure a bumpy ride as Chat Noir’s black boots constantly found pieces of debris to trip on. The super heroine winced and groaned every time she jostled making Chat’s blood boil with anger towards the person who did this. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien wasn’t a murderer, but he sure as hell wasn’t about to let someone get away with doing this to his lady.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, on the other side of the river, he managed to find a small cave in the rubble and tucked them away, hidden for the time being. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat Noir stumbled into the cave, his typical night vision failing him spectacularly as he set Ladybug down as gently as he could. Unfortunately, upturned cement and broken steel beams made a terrible bed and Marinette grunted as she felt every piece jutting into her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her vision swam and the world seemed to spin around her, but she managed to make out her partner kneeling next to her. His eyes were squinted and his hair was singed, but he seemed okay otherwards. Definitely fairing much better than she was. Ladybug checked her surroundings, trying to piece together what had just happened. She had been fighting Thunder, and judging by her partner’s state, he must’ve been fighting Lightning. Hawkmoth had akumatized two people again, but tried the ‘divide and conquer’ method this time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, it was super effective. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette gathered her thoughts, once again trying to come up with a game plan. After a few seconds, she realized Chat hadn’t said anything to her yet. Concerned, she looked towards him to make sure he was okay.   </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His head was cocked to the side and his ears were flat against his head. That wasn’t a good sign. “What’s wrong??” She asked frantically, looking around before coming back to meet his green eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No sound came from her mouth. She panicked for a second. He also tried to speak, but no sound came from him, either.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Had he lost his voice? Had she lost hers? She furrowed her brows and stared back at him. “What’s wrong with our voices? Why aren’t they working?” She tried again but received the same result.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Two clawed hands reached down and grabbed two decent chunks of concrete and brought them back up to chest level. Chat slammed them together, making a loud </span>
  <em>
    <span>whack</span>
  </em>
  <span>  that only one set of ears heard. Ladybug’s eyes widened as she realized what was wrong. For the first time, she noticed how silent it was. There was nothing, no sound. She couldn’t hear herself, or Chat’s breathing or the sounds of a storm or anything else. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I can’t hear. I can’t hear anything! Chat!” She reached up and grabbed his shoulders, frantically shaking him. Tears hung in the corners of her eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It had been a rough battle. And this certainly wasn’t going to make it any easier.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shhh, shh, it’s okay. Your cure is going to fix everything.” She didn’t react to his words, so he picked up a handful of dust and threw it above him. It came back down and landed in his hair, but he dramatically mouthed the words “Miraculous Ladybug!” and made jazz hands to imitate the ladybugs that would flit around to fix everything. The heroine in front of him seemed to relax a little, but not completely. Everything would be alright in the end. They just had to </span>
  <em>
    <span>make it</span>
  </em>
  <span> to the end. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat pulled out his staff and went to the messages app. He showed the girl in front of him and she followed suit, ready to communicate and create a plan. Chat only hesitated when he realized he couldn’t see the buttons all that well. He heard, more than saw Ladybug look up at him with confusion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The air suddenly ionized around him and Chat’s hair stood on end. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he spat angrily and pulled Ladybug to her feet, but she still leaned heavily on him. A thunderous clap echoed from somewhere, the shockwave blowing apart their little hidey-hole. Adrien pulled out his baton and  created a shield in front of them, allowing them to stand their ground a little better. Ladybug winced at the force that broke over them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There you are!” A feminine voice shrieked out of delight. Chat snapped his head up to the new voice, whereas Ladybug’s eyes focused on something in the distance. She tensed her muscles and stood on her own, falling into a defensive stance. The cat however, was too concerned with what was happening above them to look in front of him.  “Thunder got to max out his abilities, and now it’s mine turn!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The air sparked with electricity and Chat knew that hell was about to rain down on them from above. There wasn’t enough time to move both him and Ladybug to entirely miss the coming blast, so he did the next best thing. Adrien forcefully shoved Ladybug away from him, knocking her away so that she fell to the ground a few meters away. He lifted his baton into the air just as the bolt appeared from the sky, reaching down for the closest object to run its current through. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, it found it immediately. Adrien felt his nerves explode, each one burning with the heat of 5 suns. He heard a mangled scream from somewhere, but it sounded much too far away to have come from his own throat. The electricity rummaged through his body, zapping all of his important organs and burning every inch of flesh beneath his suit until it finally flew through his feet, into the ground. Adrien’s body followed the downward motion and collapsed in a pile that resembled the debris around them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ladybug had been blown back by the explosion and opened her eyes to see her crumpled partner in front of her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Stupid cat took the stupid hit by his stupid self!</span>
  </em>
  <span> More tears fell from her eyes as she stumbled forward and gathered him into her arms. His eyes were closed, but he was grimacing and there was facial movement. Good. He wasn’t dead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His mouth was moving, saying words imperceivable to his partner. Ladybug looked up and saw the two powerful akumas above her. They were gesticulating (probably monologuing), but no words met her ears. They were moving towards the downed heroes, sporting wicked smiles. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She needed to get out of here, </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chat? Chat, I need your Cataclysm, please.” The cat in her arms seemed to respond to her voice, but didn’t mouth the words she wanted him to. She shook him a little to bring him more into consciousness. “Chat Noir! I need your Cataclysm!” She yelled, hoping her volume would break through. But not hearing her own voice was difficult and she wondered if she was even speaking properly. She glanced back up at Thunder and Lightning, who were working together to create the perfect storm, the final blow against their enemies. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chat Noir!” Ladybug yelled again. His eyes slitted open and met hers but seemed to look right past her. “CATACLYSM!” she screamed at him. She felt her vocal chords shift and break with desperation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, he weakly raised his arm, dropping it into her hand as he repeated the word she yelled at him. Black energy appeared from thin air and bubbled over his hand. She grabbed his limp wrist and used it to slam his palm into the ground beneath them. It cracked and crumbled and suddenly they were falling. Ladybug held on to her partner for dear life and braced herself for the impact. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her graceful feet met the ground and rolled, but it was almost impossible to do so while holding someone and they ended up tumbling across the rough ground of the sewer. Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo just in time to create a shield over them and cover them from the raining fragments of street and buildings from above. Once everything had stopped falling in on them, Ladybug pulled whatever strength she could muster and collected Chat into her arms again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She carried him like a princess through the tunnels, running as fast as her feet would carry her. The overcasted daylight was soon swallowed by the darkness and Ladybug was very aware that she had too few senses to rely on at the moment. She did her best to move through the murky darkness, but she couldn’t see and she couldn’t hear. Chat was still out of it and the only thing she could smell was his burnt everything and the sewer itself. That left only taste and touch. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not particularly interested in using the prior, Ladybug focused on the feel around her to propel her movements. But the world hadn’t quite stopped spinning yet and she misplaced her uneven steps more than once. She tried to find a focusing point that she might use as a reference to make the rest of the world stand still. Movement caught her attention in her arms and she realized soft vibrations coming from Chat’s body. Although she couldn’t hear, she recognized the purring sensation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Of course, cats purr to heal</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It was as much as a comforting thought as it was uncomforting, but the repetitive rumbling from Chat’s chest did relax her more than she cared to admit. Ladybug dragged her feet, focusing solely on the feeling of his subtle movements in her arms. She trudged along until her body just couldn’t anymore.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After only a few minutes of ‘running’, her legs collapsed and she went sprawling, throwing her partner off into the dark somewhere. “Sorry,” she murmured. Ladybug crawled forward, feeling the ground until she met a clawed hand. It moved on its own and felt up her arm until it found her shoulder. She pulled it over her neck and supported him as she scooted over and leaned against a wall. She practically collapsed against him, her head resting on his shoulder. His arm made a poor attempt at wrapping her up in a side hug, but it was relieving nonetheless. The vibrations continued from him, flowing out of his chest and into her own. It seemed ridiculous, but a tiny portion of her </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> feel a little better the more she focused on his purrs. Be it only a figment of her imagination, she was hanging on tightly to any good feelings she could get at the moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A small, green flash surprised her but she relaxed slightly when she realized it was only Chat’s ring losing paw pads. A red flash followed it, surprising Ladybug even more. She hadn’t used her Lucky Charm, so why were her earrings flashing? Maybe Tikki was exhausted from taking the majority of the blast for her. Marinette didn’t want to think about what would’ve happened if she hadn’t been transformed when Thunder shattered her eardrums.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The alternating green/red light provided her with just enough vision to see her partner better. His head was cocked off to the side as if he were listening for something. She reached out and grabbed his chin, pulling it so he was looking directly at her. “Are you okay?!” she yelled, mouthing each word more than necessary (which she realized after was ridiculous as she was the one who couldn’t hear).</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He weakly mouthed something, but of course she heard nothing and it was much too dark to try and read his lips. “I can’t hear you, Chat. You’ll have to motion for me.” Her volume was much higher than it needed to be in such a quiet location, but there was no way for Chat to tell her she didn’t need to be so loud.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, for the love of-” he mumbled his words, still recovering from the recent attack. Adrien was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>in a good mood after getting zapped within an inch of his life. Now they were...somewhere that smelled terrible and he couldn’t see a thing, despite having night vision. His best guess was that the last lightning blast had finished what the earlier one had started and rendered him completely blind. That’s what he got for not closing his eyes, he supposed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regardless, communication was not going to be easy. Chat reached up and did his best attempt at swiping his hand in front of his face multiple times, up and down, but his muscles didn’t seem too keen on working with him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What??” Ladybug yelled in response. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat barely changed his demeanor and tried a different tactic. He pointed to his eyes and shook his head vigorously. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait! I don’t-” Ugh, his head hurt. Why did Ladybug have to be so </span>
  <em>
    <span>loud?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In a desperate third attempt, he pointed his index and middle finger at his eyes and then flipped them out to point to his surroundings. He made an ‘X’ with his hands afterwards. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, Ladybug understood that time. She answered much more quietly than before, as if she were reading her own gravestone. “You can’t see, can you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” he said quietly to himself, shaking his head in response for his lady to see. He angled his face back towards the ground and rubbed his eyes. Their miraculous beeped again, warning them of their impending fate. Well, at least Ladybug’s identity would be safe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Here, lean against my back. We’ll feed our kwamis and come up with a plan while they recharge. Then, it’s back into the thick of it to get this over with. Sound good?” Chat nodded and slowly moved himself around until his spine was in line with hers. Tiny vibrations ran through him and it took him a while to realize he was purring...again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s embarrassing,” his voice had no audience. Chat hunched over slightly, bracing his arms against the ground to keep him from falling over entirely. He did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> feel very good. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Small twitches glitched throughout his body, probably leftover electricity causing his muscles to contract randomly. Being pushed against his back, Ladybug felt his sudden movements, but instead of concern, she just laughed and leaned her head against his back, resting it at the base of his neck. “You okay there, twitchy?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ha-ha” Chat replied, but quickly remembered she hadn’t heard his sarcasm. He reached over and slapped her arm gently instead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ouch. Someone’s a little sensitive.” But her voice was still joking, if not entirely overrun by exhaustion. The final beep chimed from his ring and Adrien felt the energy zip up his body, immediately replacing the strength of his suit with the full effects of being struck by a bolt of lightning. His muscles went limp and he laid back against Ladybug, letting her support his weight entirely. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soon after, Marinette saw a frantic flash of red before a similar light flew up her body, turning back into Tikki. She caught the tiny goddess in her hands just as a painful ringing took up vacancy in her ears, deafening her with a sound she never wanted to hear. It was so much better not being able to hear anything than to hear such a terribly painful sound. Tikki must’ve blocked the ringing out with magic while she was transformed. But now, there was no protection from it. Marinette reached up and grabbed her ears, trying to block it out somehow. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was crippling. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But, they had a job to do. She felt Chat’s weight against her, felt his back inhaling and exhaling in strange motions. He was either speaking with his kwami, or having issues breathing. Possibly both. Marinette longed to hear Tikki’s reassuring voice. She pried her hands from her ears, despite the ringing and opened her purse, pulling out her phone. She turned on the flashlight and set it down next to her. The light wouldn’t help Chat, but at least Marinette felt better regaining one sense. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She squinted her eyes slightly and came face to face with Tikki’s blue orbs. The kwami smiled at her chosen reassuringly and it was enough to make Marinette feel better. Tikki flew up and kissed Marinette on the cheek and then flew into her purse and helped herself to the cookies inside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Against her, she felt Chat’s arm move, probably to feed Plagg. As he moved against her, a static shock resulted from his clothing and pierced her shoulder. He jolted suddenly, probably apologizing profusely. “Geez, sparky. I know you’re upset, but don’t take it out on me.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was weird, not hearing her own voice as it left her lips. It felt wrong and second guessed her words constantly. For someone who’d had her hearing all her life, losing it suddenly was jarring. She couldn’t wait to use her cure and fix all of this. It had been a terrible fight, worse than any they’d had thus far. From the sheer amount of destruction to the toll it took on the two heroes, they deserved a break. Against her wishes, Marinette ran the scene of her partner getting electrocuted through her mind. She shuddered and reached her hand out in search of his. It wasn’t a romantic gesture...just reassurance. That’s all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien felt her movements and followed suit. He felt her head tip over to search for his hand where it blindly felt about for hers on the ground. Her beautiful chuckle broke through the air and then he felt her fingers slide against his. He pushed his thumb into her palm and grabbed the rest of her small fingers in his hand, brushing her soft skin as he held on to her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A small weight settled on his head. Loud maunching accompanied it, along with small bits of cheese falling in his hair. But, no matter how hard Plagg tried, Adrien was not about to let him ruin this peaceful-ish moment with Ladybug. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two heroes sat like that for a while, catching their breath and letting their kwami’s refuel. Neither spoke to break the silence, even though they knew they needed a plan. Without some form of communication, it was going to be rough. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait a second…” Adrien reached in and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Plagg!” he called loudly, feeling the blob on his head jolt slightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Came the annoyed voice.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need you to open my phone and pull up the notes or something. Then, type out my words to Ladybug so we can talk. Please?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He heard an impossibly loud sigh from such a little creature, but Plagg  finally zipped over in front of the phone. “Take your case off, so it’s not as recognizable.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien did as he was told and threw the case off to the side somewhere. Hopefully the cure would bring it back, because there was no way he was going to find that again. He pushed the home button and held up the screen for Plagg to access. A small </span>
  <em>
    <span>zip</span>
  </em>
  <span> was heard and Adrien felt another presence at the phone. “Tikki?” he questioned. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi, Chat!” she greeted back cheerfully. “Good thinking with the phone. You guys are going to need a plan in order to take down Thunder and Lightning.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know,” he sighed, defeatedly. He felt Ladybug shifting against him, getting antsy. She probably saw the light from his phone and wondered what he was up to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Plagg, please type ‘Are you okay?’” Adrien heard some clicking and then a “Done” from Plagg. He shifted slightly and held the phone behind him, out to Ladybug. She accepted the phone without moving her body and pulled it in front of her to read. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The message warmed Marinette on the inside. Of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course</span>
  </em>
  <span> that would be his first question to her. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’m fine, Chat. Just worn down. We gotta beat these guys. Any ideas?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She handed the phone back and waited for a response. Soon enough, she felt his weight shift again and she accepted the message. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You and I both know you’re the one with the plans. I did notice their matching masks, though. Maybe that has something to do with it?</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before she could respond, the ringing in her ears crescendoed to a piercing again and she tensed up and grabbed the sides of her head, waiting for it to die down. It finally did after what seemed like forever and she relaxed back against her partner, who was searching for her hand again. She reached out and he gripped her tightly.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry. I’m okay. But, back to your question. I think there’s something with those masks. Thunder had the right side of his face covered and Lightning had the left side covered. The masks looked the same, didn’t they?” She felt his hair brush up and down, in a nod. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another passing of the phone and he’d spoken to her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Do you think that’s where the akuma is?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Worth a shot. We need to find a way to incapacitate them, though. There’s no way we’re making it through another thunderclap or lightning bolt.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“OH! Plagg, tell her it was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>shocking</span>
  </em>
  <span> experience.” Adrien smiled at the pun.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not typing that out. Make puns on your own time, but you’re not dragging me into that nonsense.” Adrien just huffed and Tikki giggled. Plagg did, however, type out a response to Ladybug. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What’s the weakness of Thunder and Lightning? A light/soundproof box?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe? But...what about rubber?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What about it?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Rubber doesn’t conduct electricity!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Do I sense a rubber Ladybug and Chat Noir cosplay in our future? (He didn’t want me to type that, but it was his first thought. It’s important for someone else to know that this kid is a NERD)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What about Thunder? What stops that?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette snorted at Plagg’s response. She already knew Chat was a massive nerd who spent way too much time on the internet. Now she could add cosplay to the list of things to bother him about. But she forced her mind back to the problem at hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know. Maybe your soundproof box wasn’t a bad idea. I definitely think we should invest in some ear plugs once we get back to the surface though. Well...earplugs for you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>And some sunglasses for you. It’s Lightning’s flashes that did in my eyes. (This is becoming an extensive cosplay - Plagg)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tikki suddenly flew into Marinette’s sight and smiled brightly at her. She reached down and tapped the keys on Chat’s phone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m ready when you are. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok. So, grab the masks once they can’t fight back. We’ve got a semi-plan. Ready, Chat?” He reached around moreso and held a thumbs-up in front of her. Marinette glimpsed a white shirt, covering his shoulder, but that thankfully didn’t reveal much about who he was. What concerned Marinette much more were the strange branch-like markings breaking across the bare skin on his forearm. Just looking at it made her skin crawl and she gasped out of surprise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Plagg suddenly flew into her vision and typed on the phone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s just scarring from the lightning. It’ll go away with the cure. He’s okay, we promise. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette set her jaw, much more determined than she had been a minute ago. She was going to fix this. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They </span>
  </em>
  <span>were going to fix this. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tikki, Spots On!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>**************</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few minutes later, Ladybug and Chat Noir emerged from an abandoned convenience store, using each other as crutches to drag themselves across the city. Chat had plastic ear plugs pushed in his ears and Ladybug had a pair of gaudy, sunglasses. She glimpsed her reflection in a broken window as they passed and froze at their appearances.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat was forced to stop abruptly when she did, curious as to what distracted her. Marinette stared into her own eyes, more concerned for herself than she’d ever been. Maybe it was the lighting, or the thick layer of dust covering her body, but she looked </span>
  <em>
    <span>awful</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Chat didn’t look much better, a decent portion of his golden hair dyed black from extensive heat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The only things that could possibly lighten up the situation were the stupidly large Ladybug-themed glasses that sat atop her face. This was absurd, but maybe exactly what Ladybug needed to keep her going right now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wearing her own merchandise. A shameless plug, right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She tightened her grip on Chat again as she continued down the rubble-filled street. He tripped a few times, but not nearly as many as a blind man walking down a broken street should have. Ladybug held him steady and led him through the minefields as best she could. She scanned the ground for a broken tire or chunks of rubber: anything they could use in the upcoming battle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat Noir abruptly tensed beside her and whipped his head around to look behind them. He was directly facing an alley where a tiny light blinked. Both heroes took a defensive position as the person revealed herself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Red hair bounced as Alya appeared from the alley. Of course. Every news station knew it was too dangerous to be out here, but the amateur journalist had different safety standards. She cried out something and ran towards the heroes, clearly excited at their presence. Her hands held the phone up to the two of them as she started rambling. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat immediately recognized the voice of Alya and relaxed, but only slightly. He still couldn’t see their surroundings and was relying heavily on his hearing. So far, there was no sign of Thunder or Lightning. But Alya was sometimes just as dangerous. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ladybug! Chat Noir! Are you guys okay? Where have you been? What’s up with the costumes? How are you going to defeat these akumas?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat’s head was facing the ground, as there was no point in trying to use his eyes. He instead angled his ears towards the girl in front of him. For a split second, he waited for Ladybug to respond before he realized she probably had no idea what Alya said. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Looks like this one’s up to me</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Ladyblogger. Uh...yeah we’re good. But, we </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> need you to get out of here. In fact, if any Parisians are not currently taking shelter, preferably underground, please do so immediately. Thunder and Lightning are capable of a lot of damage, as you can see. Our first priority is your safety, but we need your help to achieve it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alya wasn’t convinced yet. She moved her eyes up and down the heroes, noticing some very concerning details. Ladybug had dried blood flowing out her ears and Chat had some disturbing scaring that creeped up his neck. From the new reports, Alya knew that something happened when the heroes disappeared for about a half an hour, but she never thought they were injured somewhere, licking their wounds only to drag themselves back into the fight a few minutes later. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ladybug seemed to notice the contemplation and spoke up for the first time. The volume she spoke with was unnecessarily loud and her speech was slowed a little, as if she were deliberately pronouncing every syllable. “Your safety and the safety of all Parisians is our first priority. As you can see, these akumas can create a lot of damage. I need you to take shelter and advise others to do the same, ok?” Chat scoffed quietly at her speech but gave no explanation as to why Ladybug had pretty much just repeated everything he’d said as if he hadn’t said anything at all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alya.” Chat picked up speaking again. He moved his head slightly, in what appeared to be an attempt to turn his face to meet hers. “I’m serious. We’ll give an interview or something once this is all over. But for now, get somewhere safe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The redhead furrowed her brows and dropped her phone in her breast pocket. Luckily, she’d prepared for this moment and had created a tiny hole exactly where the phone’s camera laid when in said pocket. If all went according to plan, she’d still have visuals on the heroes as well as full use of her hands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She looked Ladybug in the eyes (or, what were probably her eyes behind the ridiculous sunglasses). Then, she turned her gaze to Chat Noir. Something was off about them. Ladybug’s lack of cognisance towards her partner and Chat’s strange head movements were unnatural. Something had happened with them, or </span>
  <em>
    <span>to </span>
  </em>
  <span>them to alter something during this fight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you two okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat answered again, which was also strange as Ladybug often took the lead in interviews. “We’re fine. Please, find somewhere to hide.” His eyes were unfocused, staring at a point just to the right of her head. An idea struck Alya and she waved her hands in front of Chat’s eyes. No reaction. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While Ladybug was focused on her waving hand, Alya then clicked her tongue, causing the cat hero to jump, but Ladybug remained unaware of the sudden noise. Everything became crystal clear to her. “You’re blind. Aren’t you, Chat? And Ladybug’s deaf?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh…” Chat immediately became defensive and appeared as though he would’ve stepped in front of Ladybug defensively had they not been hanging on to each other already. “You said you’re not filming?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My phone’s in my pocket.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Whoops</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Not a total lie, but not the total truth. Whatever footage she got here, Alya knew better than to put revealing information up on her blog. Mainly, she wanted some strong Ladynoir evidence, and this seemed like a promising opportunity for it, which is why she continued recording in secret.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok, then yes. We had a little K.O. situation for a second. But hey, at least they didn’t put us six feet </span>
  <em>
    <span>th</span>
  </em>
  <span>-under” He smirked at his pun. </span>
</p>
<p><span>A sudden movement and Ladybug’s arm came to meet Chat’s. She smacked him gently, but enough to make her point. “Oh, you’ve got to be </span><em><span>kitten</span></em><span> me, my lady. You can’t hear</span> <span>anything. There’s no way you can be-”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>“Chat, I have no idea what you’re saying. But, I do know that stupid smirk you wear when you’ve made pun you’re proud of, but really shouldn’t be-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Me-ouch, my Ladybug, that hurts.” Chat spoke despite his partner being in mid-sentence.  The disruption didn’t seem to bother her at all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“-So put aside the joking until this is over. We’ve got bigger fish to fry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alya looked over to Ladybug and motioned a necklace around her neck, speaking while she motioned outside the view of the camera. “So...what about Rena Rogue and Carapace? Looks like you could use some extra help.” The message and senseless motions seemed to get through, but Ladybug just shrugged. The bakery had been leveled, and she didn’t exactly have time to go digging through rubble for the miracle box (or, miracle oval-thing. She was still undecided on the name).</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat spoke in response. “It’s uh...just me and Ladybug today.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alya was not satisfied with either answers. “Is there anything I could do to help?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just...broadcast our message to everyone to seek shelter. We need to first ensure everyone is safe before we do anything else. Then, trust-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You need to get out of here, Alya. Get somewhere safe and then use your blog to post a message to all Parisians. Tell them to stay indoors, in a basement or lower level if possible.” Ladybug spoke up again suddenly, interrupting her partner. The volume of her voice easily overwhelmed Chat’s, who just stopped talking and shook his head with a smile on his face, knowing he’d already made the same speech.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ladybug looked for a reaction that Alya heard her instructions, putting her thumb up in the air, but then tilting it from sideways to down and then back up again. Her motion was accompanied by a questioning glance. Alya smiled and sent a thumbs up towards her, satisfying Ladybug for the time being. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The heroine tapped Chat’s chest twice before letting go of him and turning away from the reporter. She started scanning the ground around her for something, wobbling slightly on her feet as if she’d just stepped off a Merry-Go-Round and was still adjusting to the non-spinning world. Forced to stand without his partner, Chat pulled his baton and extended it to walking-stick height. He propped his body against it, leaning on it for additional support. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>These two were </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> faring too well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat’s voice spoke from in front of her. “Don’t worry. My lady and I have been in worse situations, but we’ll always have each other. You and I both know I’ll protect her with everything I have. She’ll fix everything soon enough. We got this.” He sent her a dashing smile and then turned to blindly follow the sounds of Ladybug behind him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok. If you’re sure. But, I swear, if anything happens to you two, Paris will be in an uproar.” Alya yelled back at him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat’s hands were splayed out in front of him as he stumbled over the debris in his path he couldn’t see. “Don’t worry! Nothing will happen to us!” His foot caught on a steel drainage pipe and his body rushed towards the ground. Luckily, Ladybug turned around at the perfect moment and caught him in mid-air, pulling him back up to stabilize him on his feet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She caught Alya’s worried facial expression and how she bit her lip slightly. The journalist was debating on if she should really leave these two to their own devices. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry! Chat and I have been in worse situations. But we’ve got each other’s back. I’ll do everything in my power to protect him and the people of Paris. I know it doesn’t look the best right now, but we’ll fix everything. We got this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat Noir gripped on to Ladybug’s forearms and snorted at her speech. “Redundant much, my lady?” But she wasn’t watching him and thus didn’t know he spoke. Instead, her eyes were fixated on Alya. Ladybug nodded confidently towards the reporter, urging her on once again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She rushed forward and hugged the two heroes. “I know I speak for all Parisians when I say, please be safe. We need you two.” And then she turned around and sprinted in the other direction, towards the outskirts to the city, hopefully towards safety. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ladybug looked back up at Chat, feeling both his anxieties and her own. “You ready for this?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He nodded. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bring it on</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He mouthed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>**************</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Surprisingly, the Eiffel Tower was still standing...sort of. The uppermost portion had been sheared off and laid crumpled on the streets below. But other than that, the bottom half stood proud and tall, a flat observation deck acting as the top of it now. Considering other akuma attacks and what they did to the tower, it was fairing pretty well this time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ladybug landed on it, releasing her death grip on Chat once there was stable ground beneath his feet. They had specifically chosen the Eiffel Tower because it was made primarily of metal, giving their enemy the supposed advantage. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But, that’s where some little designer expertise came in handy. Using the best materials she could find (which wasn’t saying much as she could only find broken debris and exploded tires) Ladybug had fashioned atrocious rubber shoes and hats for both of them. The hats were more like hair coverings and lacked any shape other than the natural curve they’d been built to hold. Really, it was just a piece of tire strapped to their heads. A similar approach was taken with the shoes, with maybe a little more thought and effort put in. But, these were serious akumas and desperate measures needed to be taken. Even if they did resemble literal trash. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette was partially jealous that her partner couldn’t see them, because they looked absolutely absurd as the so-called ‘heroes of Paris’. She certainly wouldn’t trust anyone looking like them to save the city, especially not from two super-powered opponents who could control very specific, very </span>
  <em>
    <span>dangerous</span>
  </em>
  <span> aspects of the weather. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat gripped her hand like a lifeline as his feet met the metal grating beneath then, but stood confidently beside her. He squeezed her fingers gently letting her know he was ready. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She wished she was just as ready to immerse herself in battle while missing one of her five senses (one of her most used). </span>
  <em>
    <span>Welp, no time like the present</span>
  </em>
  <span>. This had to be done. And if Ladybug and Chat Noir weren’t up to the task, then she wasn’t sure anyone would be. It was time to act like a hero. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She threw her yo-yo into the sky, calling for her Lucky Charm. A bright flash acted as a flare and hopefully, alerted the akumas of the heroes’ presence. Once the lightshow died down, a halloween cape fell into her arms. Great. Now even the power of creation was mocking her apparel decisions. Ladybug glanced around, seeing only Chat’s belt light up in her vision. She reached over and tugged on it. “I need this!” He quickly undid the buckle in the back and handed it over to her. She threw on the cape (one more ridiculous component to their cosplay) and wrapped the belt around her wrist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As she did so, Chat tensed and whipped his head around frantically. He heard something. Marinette could feel the air changing by the second, becoming more and more charged. Thunder and Lightning were coming fast. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Good, right into their trap. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ladybug finally saw them approaching at an impossibly fast speed. Thunder flying in from the left and Lightning from the right. Both had their hands raised in the strike position. It was only a few seconds before Chat and Ladybug would be toasted. Adrenaline started pumping through her veins, inspiring her strength to find her again, if only temporarily. “Now! To the left!” She yelled at Chat, who extended his baton and javelin threw it towards the sound of the movement. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, Thunder wasn’t the quietest akuma they’d ever come up against and even his flight made tiny rumbles around him that helped Chat pinpoint his location. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ladybug watched gleefully as Thunder was caught off-guard by the metal stick and his thunder-clap fell uselessly as he blocked his face. Lightning, however, released her power down towards the vulnerable heroes on the Tower. But, the lightning was repulsed by the rubber covering them and found a closer object to hold its current. It streaked across a small bit of sky towards the metal baton right as it came in contact with Thunder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another electrocution took place and Thunder dropped in front of them. Lightning shrieked and dropped over to her partner in crime. “I’m so sorry, brother!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat smirked at the apology. It was all going according to plan. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A gravelly voice sounded afterwards. “Watch where you send those stupid bolts, Lightning. You’re gonna end up killing me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It-it wasn’t me! It was their fault!” Chat’s smirked dropped suddenly. Uh-oh. He was hoping they’d fight longer, maybe even fight each other. That was certainly not the case. Adrien did a 180 and ran in the opposite direction just as he heard Thunder pull himself to his feet and slam his hands together. Chat reached his arms out in front of him and imitated the clap right before it happened, hopefully signaling to Ladybug what was about to happen. He then grabbed her waist, bracing them for the shockwave about to rush over them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But she was already one step ahead, figuring out what was happening almost instantly. Ladybug grabbed his hand and matched her partner’s pace perfectly as they fled the scene. She used his embrace to her advantage and pushed them off the tower, jumping into the air right as the wave hit them, sending them flying over the edge. Feeling nothing beneath his feet, Chat gripped on to his lady tighter, but she was confident in her plan now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She twisted in mid-air, holding Chat tightly with one hand and throwing her yo-yo with the other. The string grabbed onto one of the further metal support beams. The heroes zipped towards the opposite side of the monument, flying beneath where they'd just stood. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they neared the other side, Marinette maneuvered her body and Chat twisted with her, despite being completely blind to the situation at hand. She pulled the string taught and launched them back up onto the observation deck before Thunder and Lightning had even made it off the side from which Chat and Ladybug had just jumped. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Directly in front of them was Chat’s baton. In one swift motion, Ladybug reached down and grabbed it, tossing it back up to its wielder. “Round two!” She cried. Then she sprinted forwards, whipping out the cape and Chat’s belt as she did so. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thunder and Lightning heard her voice and flew around to face their opponents again. They charged immediately. Ladybug extended the belt in a straight, horizontal line and slid between the two of them, tripping them entirely. She quickly tied their feet together and then slipped the neckhole of the cape over both their heads, knocking them together, but also securing them against one another. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat caught his baton effortlessly as Ladybug threw it exactly where he expected it to be. He swung himself around in a full circle, extending the staff as he did so. By the time he was facing forward again, the weapon was long enough and made perfect contact with their enemies. Ladybug felt the air shift behind her and jumped, pushing herself off their enemies heads and into the air above them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing the incoming attack, Lightning sparked up again, attempting to electrocute either Ladybug or Chat via his staff. But the heroes struck before Lightning had the chance to release her electricity. The baton missed Ladybug entirely as she launched herself into the air, but made perfect contact with its intended targets. Chat felt the sudden resistance, but his momentum beat the weight and sent the Thunder and Lightning flying into the air. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was an incredibly distant splash followed by more sounds of electricity. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Haha!” he heard Ladybug yell. “Nice shot, Chaton!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He smiled at the compliment and lifted his arm, hearing her drawing closer to him. She slipped said arm over her shoulders and once again took off in flight. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ladybug swung towards the Seine. Chat had knocked the two of them </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span> farther than she anticipated him to, but the water worked in their favor. She landed gracefully this time and Chat followed her movements to a T, making it a soft landing for both. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He continued to hold on to her hand, but matched her footsteps perfectly. They moved in sync as if both had full use of their senses and flowed forward like an unstoppable force. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chat heard coughing and sputtering as Thunder and Lightning tried to drag themselves up to dry land. He heard static again and put a hand up to stop Ladybug from walking further. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her foot hovered just above a puddle of water she failed to notice just as Lightning sparked again in a desperate attempt to get the heroes back. Unfortunately, she clearly wasn’t thinking about her and her brother, tangled up together and soaking wet. Ladybug watched as another one of their own shock waves was sent through the two of them, rendering them unconscious. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tied up in a leather belt and strange cape, unmoving on the riverbank, the two akumas had finally been defeated. Ladybug confidently placed her rubber hat in the water, stepping on it for extra precaution. She took Chat’s off his head and did the same for him. Both heroes reached down and in perfect unison removed the masks, breaking them in half.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A butterfly flew out of Ladybug’s side of the mask and fluttered up towards the overcast sky. “You’ve caused enough trouble, little bug. Time to de-evilize!” She caught it and released its purified version. “Bye-bye little butterfly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She saw Chat smile at her catch phrase, but he still reached out for her hand anyway. Ladybug leaned over and pulled the cape off the two victims in front of them, still knocked out cold from Lightning’s multiple attacks. Once she stood again, she accepted Chat’s hand and pulled him against her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Miraculous Ladybug!” And the cure exploded in the sky. More ladybug’s than she’d ever seen appeared to fix all the damages caused by Hawkmoth. Buildings were rebuilt, monuments restored and roads paved over. The post-apocalyptic scene became Paris again. Ladybug sighed in relief. Chat tightened his grip on her as the ladybugs finally rushed over the two of them, restoring the heroes of Paris back to their former glory. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sound came rushing back to Marinette and she almost cried when she heard the water rushing next to her. She laughed out of happiness and then gasped at the sound of her own voice. “I-I can hear! I can hear!” She buried her face into Chat’s chest, hugging him tightly.She then pulled away quickly, glancing up at his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes were less muddled and much more vibrant than they had been moments before. They scanned her face excitedly. “My lady, a memory of your beauty will never compare to the reality of it.” And she blushed, not even capable of brushing off the compliment. She just laughed and reached up, kissing him on his cheek.</span>
  <span></span>
    <br/>
  
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re lucky I’m in such a good mood, now. Otherwise that line wouldn’t have been so effective.” Her partner just stared back at her, in awe of either the kiss or the girl in front of him. Little did she know he was marveling at both. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A sound pulled them back into reality and they focused on the duo lying on the ground in front of them. Chat bent down, offering a hand to help formerly-Thunder off the ground. “What happened?” The man asked no one in particular. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ladybug smiled at the fact that she heard the question. “You tell me” She responded sassily. Chat turned his attention from the akuma victim back to Ladybug. Now that he could see again, he never wanted to turn his eyes away from her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>**************</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Later that night, Marinette sat in her room, scrounging the Ladyblog for the footage of earlier. She rubbed her ear slightly, trying to ignore the subtle ringing. Turns out, not even her Ladybug Cure had enough power to heal her entirely. Ironically, she had a strong feeling that this was what tinnitus felt like. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Does this mean I get to sit in the front of the class now?</span>
  </em>
  <span> After all that had happened today, the thought of the classroom squabble was laughable. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette finally found the video Alya posted of the heroes as they caught her hiding in the alley. The entire encounter had been recorded, despite Ladybug previously being under the impression that Alya stopped filming at some point.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But, of course, she hadn’t. Marinette just smiled, shaking her head. Her best friend must’ve found a loophole somehow, maybe a hidden camera on her person. The angle was strange, cutting off the top of Chat’s forehead, but the rest of the encounter was visible. The ‘my phone is in my pocket’ response was clearly just that rather than actual confirmation that she wasn’t filming. (The public was eating it up though. They loved seeing how the heroes acted when they believed the whole world wasn’t watching them. The banter and need to protect and rely on each other was better than any script a reality show could come up with). </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette watched, and maybe even admired her best friend’s determination to her field of interest. But, she would have to talk to her as Ladybug in the future about what she put up online. Thankfully, this video was harmless to everything except the heroes’ pride. Alya also made sure to post it after the battle was complete to ensure Hawkmoth didn’t have any additional intel on the heroes. Alya was smart about it, but still a little too nosy for her own good. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The video played on repeat as Marinette watched the discussion between the three of them over and over again. She hadn’t actually heard any of it until now and it shocked her how similar her responses were to Chat’s. She laughed when she heard him mention redundancy, but it also made her smile. Being that in sync with someone without even realizing it was a rare feeling. Marinette could help but realize she’d never shared that experience with anyone other than her partner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Accompanying the first video, Alya admitted to going back into the danger zone and had recorded the end of the battle as well. Marinette watched that video multiple times, too. Even though it was from a distance, it was easy to see the heroes moved together as if they were one entity. Especially considering their lack of senses at the time, Marinette had to admit, it was impressive. Alya raved about it in her description. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The comments on the new post focused a lot on the hero's injuries. People analyzed the footage for symptoms of Ladybug’s ruptured eardrum and Chat’s lichtenberg scarring. It didn’t take long for them to come to a conclusion about exactly what had happened. The result? People were furious. Parisians didn’t know how old their heroes were, but they knew they were rather young. Many were enraged that Hawkmoth, clearly an adult, would cause such severe physical damage to kids doing their best to keep the city safe. There was sympathy for Ladybug and Chat Noir, but also a lot of respect.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another thread did exactly what Marinette hoped people wouldn’t and focused on their get-ups. In the first video, people mainly pointed out Ladybug’s over-the-top sunglasses. Some theorized its purpose and others just laughed at her sporting her own glasses. In the second video, however, the public </span>
  <em>
    <span>exploded </span>
  </em>
  <span>at the sight of Ladybug and Chat wearing tires on their heads. Most joked about the weird yet ingenious usage of them as a practical fashion statement. Marinette decided to take it as a compliment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>More than anything though, people talked about the perfect synchronicity of Ladybug and Chat Noir. They pulled up videos from their battle with Frightningale and compared it to their movements of the most recent footage. It was clear that Ladybug and Chat were on the same page, constantly. More than that, it seemed like they had gone one step further and created their own novel for just the two of them judging by how effortlessly they understood and fought alongside each other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette laid back in her chair, sighing contentedly at the extensive post and discussions. Even if she didn’t always like to admit it, Chat </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>her other half. They worked together perfectly. Time and time again, they won because of their teamwork. She was nothing without Chat Noir and she knew he believed that he was nothing without her.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were a team. A perfect one, dare she say it. And no matter how long it took, they would defeat Hawkmoth. Because there was no way he could ever triumph over a perfect balance of creation and destruction. </span>
</p>
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